ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Nuclear Technology
August 2024
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Latest News
DOE asks for input on spent fuel package safety demonstration
The Department of Energy has issued a request for information to gather input on its proposed package performance demonstration, which is intended to demonstrate the robustness of spent nuclear fuel transportation casks in hypothetical accident conditions. By simulating severe accident scenarios, the DOE said it intends to show to the public and stakeholders the safety and reliability of transporting SNF by rail, heavy-haul truck, and barge.
Y. Ronen, M. Aboudy, D. Regev
Nuclear Technology | Volume 153 | Number 2 | February 2006 | Pages 224-233
Technical Note | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT06-A3702
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
There is growing interest in the use of 242mAm as a nuclear fuel. Since the thermal absorption cross section of 242mAm is very high (a = 8950 b), the best way to obtain 242mAm is by the capture of fast or epithermal neutrons in 241Am. As a result, we have considered replacing the radial blanket of a fast reactor, which is usually depleted uranium, with 241AmO2.We chose a 714-MW(thermal) MONJU reactor, and we replaced some of the radial blanket and the outer core assemblies with 10 676 kg of 241AmO2 fuel. We calculated the reactor core by using the MCNP Monte Carlo code.The total amount of 242mAm becomes stabilized after 16 yr, but the enrichment does not. In our calculation, ~7.2% enrichment is obtained after 18 yr. Obtaining higher enrichments might indicate that 242mAm nuclear fuel can be used without further enrichment in many cases.The results presented in this paper are considered an upper limit scenario. In particular the target 241Am loading is not likely to be available soon, but 242mAm production from lesser amounts is easily scaled down proportional to the actual mass irradiated.